You Can't Take It All With You

Well, I could, but I'd regret it immediately. After years of trying out this and that — every piece of gear seeming like the best solution to what was often an imaginary problem — I've accrued more gear than I know what to do with.

Too much stuff!

My goal is to get my base weight (all my stuff, minus food and water) beneath 10 pounds. I know some people who have made it down to 7 pounds and others whose base weight hovered around 20 pounds (that seems a little too high). Excess weight will reduce my chances of finishing and will increase my chances of injury. As a result, I've been paying very close attention to what I carry and why.

I intend to follow up with a later post that itemizes my "final" gear selection — down to the ounce and gram, so watch out for that. Should be hilarious.